What do you get your friend that is interested in politics and zombies? I know that I just wrote a post about books, but I promise this is the last one for a while. This is a little last minute, but I wanted to make a quick gift guide for your political friends or friends interested in social justice. Not only is this going to be a very fun gift guide, but it’s also going to be a reminder to support small book stores, used book stores, and to be mindful about book buying overall. When I say friend throughout this post, feel free to switch it out for “family member”, “teacher”, “yourself”, “coworker”, etc. I love giving out book recommendations. If you click here, you will see that I have already many book guides. However, this one is special because it will help you target what book to get for what kind of person. And I’m going to include a few fiction books as well. I also wanted to take some time to provide you with some resources on how to find your local independent book stores. Please share other book recommendations or gift recommendations in the comments because I love receiving them almost as much as I love giving them out.
disclaimer: I am including amazon links to all these books because that’s the best way to share the specific book with you. However, I encourage you to use the links at the end of the post for purchasing and finding your gifts.
for your feminist friend that doesn’t read that much but might be interested in a feminist classic: The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf. This is a great feminist classic that discusses body image and how society’s idea of beauty cab affect and control women. It’s one of the best classic feminist books and it can be a great introduction to gender studies books.
for your literary friend that loves Charlotte Brontë: Shirley by Charlotte Brontë. I finished this book recently, and as someone who has read a lot of Brontë, I believe this is her most feminist piece of literature. It is another western classic, however, I really enjoyed it and I think it would be the perfect gift.
for your political friend that is interested in government and how the American government works: The Broken Branch by Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein. Anything by the duo, Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein. These two authors have written many books about congressional reform and the state of Congress. It’s a fascinating book, even if it may not be as flashy as other political topics.
for your humanitarian friend that is interested in human rights and world history: A Problem from Hell by Samantha Power. I have been recommending this book a lot lately, to teachers, friends, and basically everyone I meet. It’s a really heartbreaking yet important story about the history of genocide.
for your survivalist friend that knows way too much about zombies and would survive the apocalypse: Theories of International Politics and ZOMBIES by Daniel W. Drezner. This is an extremely fun book, and even though you learn a lot, it doesn’t feel like an educational book. It’s an amazing application of political ideologies on zombie apocalypse theories. It’s all hypothetical, but won’t you be happy when the apocalypse happens and you know how to appeal to the zombie’s environmentalism.
for your friend that is interested in international politics and the economy, but doesn’t want to read another math book: Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo. I was really surprised by this book because it was a fascinating read on the effects of foreign aid but it also introduced me to the economic side of international politics. That being said, it doesn’t bombard you with math, but if your friend likes economic theories, then this might be the perfect book.
for your friend that is interested in reading Barack Obama’s new memoir: The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama and Becoming by Michele Obama. If your friend is preparing to read or is planning on reading Barack Obama’s new memoir, then it might be a good idea to share some of the Obamas’ older writings. It really benefited me to see how much Barack Obama has grown over the years, from the Audacity of Hope to his presidency to his new memoir which I hope to read soon.
for your friend that is angry at the patriarchy and wants to channel their anger constructively: Rage Becomes Her by Soraya Chemaly. I read this book, last December, and loved every moment of it. It is a perfect motivator and can help put your anger into perspective and help you understand it better, especially a woman’s rage.
for your feminist friend that doesn’t like nonfiction and wants something a little more intense: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. This is the perfect mix of feminism and dystopian, where if you are a fan of either side, you will probably like this book. I am not that big of a fan of dystopian novels or non-classic fiction overall, but I really enjoyed this book. It’s perfect for your friend that loves fiction and feminism but wants a little excitement in their reading.
bookstore resources. I want to dedicate an entire post to the significance of supporting independent bookstores and used bookstores. But for now, I’m just going to provide you with some resources and lists to help guide you.
- thriftbooks
- the best bookstore in your state
- independent bookstore finder
- fun article about bookshop
I hope you enjoyed this post and please don’t forget to share your book recommendations too!
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Rohini Kudva 
Love the sound of all of these books, an I love how you have included a good range of them 🙂
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Thanks, That was something I defintley tried to do with this post and I’m glad you think so too!
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